1 Wisdom in phrases

Shared by a friend from work

Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself, "Lillian, you should have remained a virgin."
- Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter)

Last week, I stated this woman was the ugliest woman I had ever seen. I have since been visited by her sister, and now wish to withdraw that statement.
- Mark Twain

The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible.
- George Burns

Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.
- Victor Borge

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.
- Mark Twain

I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.
- Groucho Marx

My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.
- Jimmy Durante

I have never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back.
- Zsa Zsa Gabor

My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying.
- Rodney Dangerfield

Money can't buy you happiness. . . . But it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.
- Spike Milligan

Until I was thirteen, I thought my name was SHUT UP.
- Joe Namath

I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap.
- Bob Hope

I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it.
- W. C. Fields

We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress.
- Will Rogers

Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill

Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty. . . . But everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out.
- Phyllis Diller

By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere.
- Billy Crystal

And the cardiologist's diet: If it tastes good, spit it out.

2 Quote of the month

By all these lovely tokens

September days are here,

With summer's best of weather

And autumn's best of cheer.

Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885)

3 This month in our family

Everybody!

Sat, Sept 1: Newsletter begins 40th year of publication
Sun, Sept 2: Fast Sunday
Mon, Sept 3: Labor Day holiday
Sat, Sept 22: Fall begins
Sun, Sept 23: Brigham City Utah Temple dedication
Sat, Sept 29: Anniversary of Dorothy's birth in 1915
Sat, Sept 29: Full moon (corn moon or harvest moon)
Sat, Sept 29: General Relief Society meeting

Lyle's family

Sun, Sept 2: Barbara born 1937
Sun, Sept 2: Catherine's birthday
Sun, Sept 16: Josh Kersker's birthday
Tues, Sept 25: Stan's birthday
Sun, Sept 30: David Wilke's birthday

Gail's family

Wed, Sept 5: Melanie Duay's birthday
Wed, Sept 12: Debbie's birthday
Sun, Sept 23: Joshua & Veronica married 2005
Sun, Sept 23: Jeremy & Mandy Harned married 2006
Sun, Sept 30: Corben's birthday

Kay's family

Mon, Sept 3: Brock's birthday
Thurs, Sept 13: Noelle McAllister's birthday
Thurs, Sept 20: Nicole's birthday [Brandon's wife]
Sun, Sept 23: Carson's birthday

Gene's family

Sat, Sept 15: Louis & Bobbie Real married 1995
Fri, Sept 21: LaWanda Packwood's birthday

Ray's family

Tues, Sept 4: Eugene DeMartini's birthday
Fri, Sept 7: Makenzie Reher's birthday
Thurs, Sept 13: Richard's birthday
Fri, Sept 28: Daniel Ricardo Mena's birthday
Sun, Sept 30: Sharae DeMartini's birthday

Dean's family

Sun, Sept 2: Michael's birthday
Wed, Sept 5: Peter Halverson's birthday
Wed, Sept 19: Miles Halverson's birthday
Sun, Sept 23: Olivia's birthday
Thurs, Sept 27: Peter & Anna Halverson married 2006

Dale's family

Thurs, Sept 13: Nathan Jensen's birthday

4 Bits and tidbits

Kay's family

Kay and Karen made a trip to northern Utah this past weekend (August 24-26) to see a grandson play football and another grandson ordained.

Ray's family

We recently received a message on Facebook from Richard, Ray's oldest son: "Have not heard from dad's side of family in long time. I'm living in West Yellowstone, Montana. Been here 11 years now. I work at Parade Rest guest ranch in summers, Yellowstone Arctic Yamaha snowmobile shop winters. Do you still have family newsletter? Please send info to sign up if you do. Congrats on retirement. Hope all goes well."

Dean's family

Robert and Rachael and their four daughters came from Illinois for a week's visit, arriving Friday evening, August 10, and returning home Thursday, August 16. While here in Utah, their daughter Esther (who had turned eight on July 26) was baptized and confirmed in Layton on Saturday afternoon, August 11. Afterward our entire family gathered at a nearby Golden Corral for dinner together.

The next day we had our family birthday party for the August birthdays (one of which is Rachael, who doesn't normally get to be here for our birthday celebrations). Another day I went with them up to Malad, to check on their house that they still own from when they moved three years ago from Idaho to Illinois.

And on their final evening in town, Claudia and all the girls (our daughters and daughters-in-law and the two oldest granddaughters) got together for a sisters' night out. Everyone was here except our daughter Eliza in Atlanta. I took some of the grandkids to buy pizza, and we took it to a park, where we ate and played for a couple of hours, and ended with ice cream cones at Arctic Circle before taking the little ones home to their mothers.

5 Our family 50 years ago

Excerpts from the September 1962 diary of Dorothy Batt Cleverly (1915–1982). The full text of her diary can be found online at Dorothy's Idaho Diaries and is updated daily, exactly 50 years to the day after it was originally written. The family lived at the time on Colorado Avenue in Nampa, Idaho.

Sat, Sept 1.  I bought Gene $174. worth of school cloths, coat, pants, shoes, shirts, socks, underwear & a metal suit case. Ivard & Gene loaded up our extra chairs, bed & table to take Gail. He took out bankruptcy & lost everything.

Sun, Sept 2.  Gene got up & went over to Adrian & got the rest of his things from Gails & went to church. Ray didn't work today. They all went to Priesthood & sunday school. Ivard & Jackie didn't stay to Testimony meeting. I washed Genes cloths & iorned & marked them & packed & at 3:45 Ivard & I, Dale & Jackie took Gene to Rexburg to go to school. left Ray & Dean home alone.

Mon, Sept 3.  Came home from Rexburg.

Tues, Sept 4.  Kids started to school. I started to Simplots. I hate the thoughts of going back.

Wed, Sept 5.  I came home from work & took Ray up to school. Rest of Kids were gone.

Thurs, Sept 6.  I came home & Kids were all gone to school. About 2: here come Lyle, Barbra & Kids. Lyle told me Ivard had told him he could take pick-up to Calif.

Fri, Sept 7.  Ray worked after school till 10: then went to school dance. Ivard went to game, wanted me to but I was mad at him & it was too cold. Plant was down tonite so we didn't have to work.

Sat, Sept 8.  Dean cleaned house. Gail, Lynda & Kids were here, didn't stay long & Lynda was going to Washington with her mother. Dean had supper & we ate & watched Miss America Pagent. We didn't have to work tonite.

Sun, Sept 9.  Took Dean to Priesthood. Ivard took Dale & Jackie to S. S.

Mon, Sept 10.  I came home from work at 8:30 & at 9: I went to bed. I never woke up until 4: then I got up & cooked supper & we ate at 5:30. Ray went & got some Softie & we had it with our peaches instead of cream. Ray & Dean did dishes & went to Mutual.

Tues, Sept 11.  I wrote to Jerry & Gene.

Wed, Sept 12.  I wrote to Kay. Ray went ward teaching.

Thurs, Sept 13.  Got letter from Lyle. I made potatoe soup for supper & we ate & I went back to bed.

Fri, Sept 14.  Jerry came home from Utah. Didn't get a job. We all went to church to ward reunion. It was good, fried chicken, corn on cob, tomatoes, salad & pie, good programe.

Sat, Sept 15.  Ivard watched ball games all day but little while he went to court at 11:, dumb old Webster Caldwell charged us $100. for fixing Income tax & we have to pay it in 10 days.

Sun, Sept 16.  Ray didn't have to work today. He went to Priesthood with Jerry & Dean. Ivard went to Priesthood in his car so he could get home early. I took Dale & Jackie to sunday school at 11:40. I made a big Kettle of chilli for dinner. I wrote to Mother.

Mon, Sept 17.  Jerry went back to work for Nampa Paint. Ray stayed home from school sick in bed all day. Ivard started to paint outside of house today, green. Dean went to Mutual.

Tues, Sept 18.  Ray stayed home sick again. Ivard painted outside.

Wed, Sept 19.  Ivard painted outside on house. He went to work at 3:50. I went to bed early but couldn't sleep, try too hard I guess.

Thurs, Sept 20.  Ivard took Jackie to Primary. Jerry went to M-Men Gleaners & Ivard went up to high school to Central game.

Fri, Sept 21.  I came home from work & washed a batch of cloths. I went to bed at 11:30 & got up again at 2:30 & made 3 banna pies & 3 crust for lemon pie. Ivard went up to P.F.C. & borrowed 523. & I went up to bank with him & paid car off. We got enough to pay Ins on car, go to Utah, & Pay off Webster Caldwell.

Sat, Sept 22.  I came home from work & went to bed. Ivard painted on outside of House. Dean cleaned up the house. Ray took car & went to Boise to dance.

Sun, Sept 23.  Dale gave 2 1/2 min talk. I put a beef stew on & was just going to bed at noon when Gail Lynda & Kids came.

Mon, Sept 24.  First day of Ivards 2 week vacation. Got new dress from Mother for my birthday. Ivard painted the rest of house on outside, just has woodwork left to do. Kids went to Mutual.

Tues, Sept 25.  Jackie started 2nd yr. dance lessons. I came home from work half dead - work us like slaves. Ivard painted on outside of garage until he run out of paint.

Wed, Sept 26.  Ivard painted on outside of house all day.

Thurs, Sept 27.  Got letter from Mother. Ivard didn't feel good & didn't paint today.

Fri, Sept 28.  I came home from work, we have next 2 nites of, I took a week off. I was so tired. Got letter from Claudia. Jerry gave me the latest genelogy book for my birthday. We went to Hales & got a duel control Westinghouse electric blanket & had gift wrapped to take mother for her birthday. Came home & they'd eaten, so we had a piece of pie. Ivard & Dean went to home comeing. I iorned & packed ready to go on our trip.

Sat, Sept 29.  My birthday - 47. Ivard, Jackie & I got up at 4: A.M. & left for Rexburg to see Gene play ball. Gene got to play quite a bit. They beat Carbon College 7 to 6.

Sun, Sept 30. Left for Salt Lake.

6 What in the world

Brigham City Temple

President Boyd K. Packer, a Brigham City native who now serves as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, is scheduled to dedicate the new temple in Brigham City on Sunday, September 23. The dedicatory services will be broadcast in three sessions to all stakes in Utah and to stakes in southeastern Idaho that are a part of the temple district. Regular church meetings are cancelled in those stakes that Sunday.

We had an opportunity to walk through the temple during the second day of the open house on Monday evening, August 20. I took this picture of the front of the temple with my iPhone at the conclusion of the tour.

Let the games begin!

This past week's Republican national convention in Tampa Bay, Florida, shared the headlines with tropical storm (later hurricane) Isaac, which in the end sidestepped Florida and came ashore along the Louisiana coast. The convention officially nominated Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan as the Republican ticket for the November elections.

The Democratic national convention will be held this coming week (September 3-6) and will nominate President Barack Obama and Joe Biden, incumbent president and vice president, as the Democratic ticket.

7 A final word

With this issue, the Cleverly Newsletter begins its 40th year of publication. Four decades of telling the family story! That represents a pretty remarkable run.

The first issue of the Cleverly Newsletter, a single sheet of paper printed on both sides, rolled off the presses (literally my manual typewriter and a copy machine) on the first day of September 1973. The very next day, September 2, Claudia and I became parents with the birth of our first child.

Ten years ago, as we reached the newsletter's 30th anniversary, I noted, "Over the . . . years, we have varied the frequency, the format, and the style of the newsletter. But we hope we have stayed true to our original mission of keeping the family informed, building family unity, reminding us of our heritage, promoting family-centered gospel living."

Now at 40 years, we want to stay true to that original mission. But we need your help. With our upcoming mission call beginning in January, we are either going to have to curtail what we have been doing with the newsletter, turn it over to someone else in the family, or discontinue it all together.

That's where your present help is needed. Please weigh in on these (or even other) options. Please let us know what elements of the newsletter you particularly like. Or don't like. What you want us to keep? Or not keep? When you want to inherit this job? (I thought I'd just throw that in for any who want to execute a friendly takeover.)

Thanks for your input. And God bless you all.